Major League Baseball is the highest league in professional baseball and the minor league system acts as a feeder for the major leagues. The similarities and connections between the leagues stop there however. Minor league players play in smaller stadiums, receive less money and have a lot less perks than players in the majors.
Stadium Size
Minor league teams play in much smaller stadiums than Major League teams do. Triple-A is the highest level of minor league baseball and those teams have the largest minor league stadiums. According to Ballparks of Baseball, Omaha's Rosenblatt Stadium, the largest stadium in Triple-A, seats 22,000 people. Meanwhile, Colorado Springs' Security Services Field is the smallest Triple-A stadium and has a capacity of only 9,000.
At the Major League Baseball level, the smallest stadium, Boston's Fenway Park, has a capacity of 36,298. Baseball Almanac notes that Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles is the largest major league park with a capacity of 56,000.
Salary
The average salary for a Major League Baseball player in 2010 was just over $3 million per player, according to the Major League Baseball Players Association. That salary is in another galaxy when compared to the pay that minor league players bring in. Baseball America notes that Triple-A players, make more money than others in the minor leagues and many in Triple-A make a minimum of $32,500 per year and some pull in more than $100,000 per year. However, the lower levels of the minor leagues are a different story, as Minor League Baseball.com notes that first-year players in the lower levels make a maximum of $1,100 per month. That equates to earning less than $7,000 per season. Baseball America notes that many players make less than that and some only make a few thousand dollars for the entire season.
Travel
Major League Baseball players travel first class, usually on a team's private jet. Big league players stay in the best hotels and get plenty of money on the road to eat at fine restaurants. In the minor leagues, living is not so plush. With the exception of some Triple-A road trips, minor league road trips are taken via bus. MILB.com notes that minor league players receive $25 of meal money per day on the road at all levels. Minor league teams stay at lesser hotels and in the minors players have a roommate on the road.
Goals of Play
Major League Baseball is all about winning and putting the best team on the field that you can. In the minors, the game is geared more toward developing young players for their potential to later help the big league team. Often minor league teams rotate their players more, ensuring that everyone has an opportunity to play and be seen. Pitchers in the minors are usually on strict pitch counts to try to protect them from injury, and while pitch counts are a part of the majors, pitchers are used much more to try to win games.
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